Book Review-Inner Harbor

#1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts presents the final novel in the captivating trilogy of three brothers who have come together in a time of need. They honored their father's wish to raise young Seth as their own. And with all of the brothers home again, the Quinn family has never been so strong. But in the months to come, their strength is tested—once again... Phillip Quinn had done everything to make his life seem perfect. With his career on the fast track and a condo overlooking the Inner Harbor, his life on the street was firmly in the past. But one look at Seth and he's reminded of the boy he once was... Phillip has intended to fulfill his father's dying request and considered Seth to be a duty. He never expected he would grow to love Seth, and soon his promise to his father became more than just obligation. Seth's future as a Quinn seems assured—until a stranger arrives in town. She claims to be researching St. Christopher's for her new book, but the true objects of study are the Quinns. Her cool reserve intrigues Phillip. He is determined to uncover her motives, but she is holding a secret that has the power to threaten the life the brothers have made for Seth. A secret that could tear the family apart... forever...

Inner Harbor is the third installment in this great series the Chesepeake Bay Saga. Phillip Quinn, is a city boy, he works in the city during the week and then comes homes during weekends to assist his brothers in their booming business of building wood boats and ships. One weekend he meets a woman who stirs things up, and leaves him aching for me. Not just for her body, but to know her personally. As he endeavors to do so, he knows he is falling hard and fast for this smart intelligent and yes a city woman, but there are secrets about her that may destroy everything including his feelings for her. But will those secrets tear their family apart including the young boy whom they have let into their home and their hearts.

I will be honesty, this is by far my favorite of the saga so far. Inner Harbor brought out the strongest emotions from me as I was reading it, and I will say that there was a tear or two shed while reading it, with due cause of course. Phillip Quinn has made a great life for himself, after being adopted and brought into the Quinn family, he wanted to have a career and a life of his own. Now he also has to put some plans on hold, for the sake of a young boy who needs these three brothers more than they would ever come to realize. When he meets Sybill, whom has traveled all over studying people and the way they act, he takes her on adventures which she has never experienced, helping her to feel emotions she would never let herself feel. Sybill, being sister to Seth’s mother, has come to discover what life Seth has here, and to discover if he is happy. Sybill has always loved Seth, but his mother has hurt her, and she feels safer in the cacoon she has built around her heart. But when she starts to get to know Seth once more, she realizes how happy he is with the Quinn, knowing that if the truth ever comes out, that the Quinns will come to despise her especially Seth, the one person she has come to help at all costs. Through certain events, both Phillip and Sybill come to realize that even though their love and feelings are fresh, they are strong, and strong enough to survive any challenge that is ahead of them. It truly was more of a emotional story, and I just loved that aspect of this story especially. The plot and characters comes alive for the reader, so riveting and the feelings and emotions between the characters, definitely a engaging story for the reader, and one that everyone that loves a good story and especially a good romance will come to appreciate Roberts writing, especially among this series.

About Nora Roberts

Eleanor Marie Robertson was born on October 10, 1950 in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. She was the youngest of five children, also the only girl, of a marriage with Irish ancestors. Her family were avid readers, so books were always important in her life. She attended a Catholic school and credits the nuns with instilling in her a sense of discipline. During her sophomore year in high school, she transferred to a local public school, where she met Ronald Aufdem-Brinke, her future first husband.

In August 17, 1968, as soon as she had graduated from high school, Eleanor married, against her parents' wishes; the couple settled in Keedysville, Maryland. Her husband worked at his father's sheet-metal business before joining Nora's parents in their lighting company, while she worked briefly as a legal secretary. "I could type fast but couldn't spell; I was the worst legal secretary ever," she says now. After their sons, Dan and Jason, were born, she stayed home. Calling this her "Earth Mother" years, she spent much of her time doing crafts, including ceramics and sewing her children's clothes. The couple ended up separating; they divorced in January 1985.

In February 1979, a blizzard forced her hand to try another creative outlet. She was snowed in with a three- and a six-year-old with no kindergarten respite in sight and a dwindling supply of chocolate. During the now famous blizzard, she pulled out a pencil and notebook and began to write down one of her stories. It was then that a career was born. Several manuscripts and rejections later, her first book, Irish Thoroughbred, was published by Silhouette in 1981 under the authorship of Nora Roberts, a shortened form of her birth name Eleanor Marie Robertson, because she assumed that all authors had pen names.

Eleanor wrote, under another pseudonym (Jill March), a story titled "Melodies of Love" for a magazine.

Eleanor met her second husband, Bruce Wilder, when she hired him to build bookshelves. They were married in July 1985. Bruce owns and operates a bookstore in Boonsboro, Maryland called "Turn the Page Books". Since getting married, Eleanor and Bruce have expanded their home and traveled the world.

In 1992, she adopted another pseudonym so as to publish a futuristic-suspense novel series. She first decided to use the pseudonym D.J. MacGregor, but discovered that this pseudonym was used by another author. In 1995, her first "In Death" serial novel was published under the pseudonym J.D. Robb. The initials "J.D." were taken from her sons, Jason and Dan, while "Robb" is a shortened form of Roberts.

Eleanor has also been known as Sara Hardesty, because when the "Born In" series was released in U.K. it carried that name instead of Nora Roberts. She has since changed publishers.

Eleanor has been plagiarized by another best-selling romance writer, Janet Dailey. The practice came to light after a reader read Nora Roberts' Sweet Revenge and Janet Dailey's Notorious back-to-back; the reader noticed several similarities and posted the comparable passages on the Internet. Calling the plagiarism "mind rape," Eleanor sued Janet Daily. In 1997, Janet admitted to repeatedly plagiarizing from Nora Roberts' work and that both Aspen Gold and Notorious lifted heavily from Roberts' work. Both of those novels were pulled from print after Janet's admission. She acknowledged the plagiarism and blamed it on a psychological disorder. In a settlement, Janet paid Eleanor an undisclosed sum, which Eleanor donated to the Literacy Volunteers of America.

A founding member of the Romance Writers of America (R.W.A.), Eleanor was the first inductee in the organization's Hall of Fame. She also is a member of several writers' groups and has won countless awards.